Aids And Drug Abuse

The two groups at greatest risk for AIDS are homosexual or
bisexual men and people who shoot drugs. People who use needles
to inject drugs (including mainliners and skin poppers) get the
virus by sharing their works with other users who already have
the AIDS virus in their blood.

You can't always tell who is infected with the AIDS virus. Most
people actually carrying the virus don't look any different than
anybody else, they look and feel well, but they can still spread
the disease. Symptoms of AIDS may not show up for many years and
some remain without symptoms even then. Thousands of IV drug
abusers already have AIDS, and many thousands more are carriers
of the virus.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious condition
that affects the body's ability to fight off infection. A
diagnosis of AIDS is made when a person develops some form of life-
threatening illness not usually found in a person with a normal
ability to fight infection. To date more that fifty percent of
all the persons with AIDS have died.

Shooting drugs has now been determined to be one of the biggest
problems facing America today. While the homosexual community has
put on a media campaign alerting and educating the public about
the dangers of AIDS, nothing is being done to stop the widespread
sharing of needles among drug users.

Remember, if you shoot drugs, you are in danger of catching AIDS.
The best advice for protecting yourself and people you love is to
stop shooting drugs. It is also important to note that women who
shoot drugs or who live with men who shoot drugs sometimes gives
AIDS to their babies, either before or shortly after birth. Babies
born with AIDS become ill very quickly.

Most individuals infected with the AIDS virus have no symptoms and
feel well for a long time before eventually developing such symptoms
as fever and night sweats, weight loss, swollen lymph glands in the
neck, the underarms and groin area, sever fatigue or tiredness,
diarrhea, white spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth. These
symptoms are also symptoms of a number of other illnesses and that
should be taken into consideration. Anyone with any of these symptoms
for more than two weeks should not panic buy should consult their
doctor.
The AIDS virus is not spread through normal daily contact at work,
school or home. There have been no cases found where the virus has
been transmitted by casual contact with AIDS patients in the home,
workplace, or health care setting.

There is an antibody test that detects antibodies to the AIDS virus
that causes the disease. The body produces antibodies that try to
get rid of bacteria, viruses, or anything else that is not supposed
to be in the bloodstream. The test may show if someone has been
infected with the AIDS virus. While the testing procedure is
considered accurate, it does not tell who will develop full-blown
AIDS.